Perfect Timing
by chelseabsb93
Summary: Brit's baby has already been born and everyone knows it's Dante and Lulu's son. Now the happy couple is awaiting the birth of 'their' daughter. Will Maxie come clean? How will everyone she loves react? Read and Review Please!
1. Chapter 1

"Can you believe it, our son is in the nursery and our daughter is almost here." Dante wrapped his arms around Lulu.

"I know, first we thought we were never going to be parents and now we have a beautiful set of twins to welcome into our lives." Lulu smiled, still not believing everything that has happened within the past few days.

Since the day they found out Brit's baby was theirs, every second has felt like a dream. And if it truly was a dream, neither she nor Dante were willing to wake up any time soon.

"Twins?" Dante needed her to clarify.

"Yes twins. Both of our kids were born on the same day. Under normal circumstances that would make them twins. Believe me it'll be easier saying that than having to explain the real story." Lulu explained, leaning her back into her husband's chest.

Dante gave a small laugh. "That's true."

Suddenly, Dr. Lee appeared in front of them.

"How are Maxie and the baby?" Lulu asked.

"So far so good. If all goes according to planned you'll meet your little girl by tonight."

Dante and Lulu looked at each other in amazement. They couldn't believe all of this was happening so fast. As quick as they could, they were back by Maxie's side, not wanting to miss a single thing in regards to the birth of their daughter.

"AAAHHH! It hurts so bad!" Maxie squeezed Lulu's hand in pain.

"Just breathe Maxie, it'll be over soon." Lulu coached her through her latest contraction.

"You're doing great." Dante didn't know what else to do. He sort of felt out of his element.

Sweat pouring off her face, Maxie didn't know how much more she could take. In the midst of her screaming in agony, she knew there was only one person who could help her.

"SPINELLI!" She screamed.

Dante and Lulu shot each other quizzical looks. Out of everyone in the world, why was it always him?

As if by some telepathic force, Spinelli came through the door.

"Gracious greetings."

Without even knowing it, his smile had melted most of Maxie's pain.

"You have perfect timing." Dante said into Spinelli's ear.

Spinelli gave him a look of confusion. Was Maxie asking for him? He decided not to question it, instead moving toward the one he came to see.

"Maxie, you are the picture of radiance. Do you feel as good as you look?"

"Only if I look like I got hit by a truck."

"Nonsense, you're beautiful." Lulu smiled.

"The Blonde One is right." Spinelli smiled, sitting on the edge of Maxie's bed. He took her hand. "You're as beautiful today as the day I met you."

"Thank you Spinelli." Maxie tried to smile, but another bout of pain overcame her. She gripped his hand tight.

Sensing they were interrupting a special moment, Dante and Lulu decided to give the once perfect couple some privacy.

"Hey Spinelli, can you keep her company while we go tell the family how the baby's doing?" Dante asked, already knowing the answer was yes.

Spinelli nodded as the expectant parents walked out the door.

"You want to go see our son while we're at it?" Lulu asked.

"Sounds like a plan." Spinelli and Maxie heard one last comment as the door shut behind them.

The two sat in silence for a moment, taking in the fact that fate had once again brought them together.

"Can I get you anything?" Spinelli broke the silence.

Maxie smiled. "You just being here is enough."

"The Jackal will always be here." Spinelli once again took her hand into his. "You're my best friend and my life would be mundane and non-existent without you in it."

"Best friend?" Maxie questioned. Part of her was jealous; she had been demoted from true love to best friend. The other part of her was riddled with guilt. Even if all she was to Spinelli was a best friend, she had been a horrible one for months. Best friends are supposed to tell each other everything, especially when it involved them. This best friend was hiding a secret; one that would affect the life of the man she still loved, the man that was her 'best friend'.

"Of course, there's nothing in the world that would ever come between me and the friendship I have with my fair Maximista."

Spinelli was so sweet, which made the guilt feel even worse. She had to tell him.

"Actually…" Maxie paused, wondering how exactly she was going to kill all of the people she loved most.

"Maxie?" Spinelli looked concerned.

"There's something I need to tell you; something that might ruin the perfect image of our friendship you have in your head."

Before Maxie could finish, another contraction came, stopping her dead in her tracks. As Spinelli coached her through it, a thousand thoughts ran through his mind. How could he keep something from her? They told each other everything. What did she want to tell him? Was it so important as to be told on such a joyous occasion?

This contraction wasn't like the others. Maxie knew something wasn't right. Soon enough, machines started beeping. Both Dr. Lee and the happy new parents rushed into the room. Spinelli tried giving the little family some room, since the day was about them, but Maxie refused to let go.

"What's going on?" Maxie let a tear fall. She was set on having a normal delivery; obviously God and the rest of the world had other ideas.

After a quick examination, Dr. Lee came up with a conclusion. "You're baby's heart rate has dropped."

"There's something wrong with the baby's heart?" Maxie panicked. "She got that from me!"

Everyone in the room eyed Maxie. Did she really just say that?

Trying to make sense of the situation, Lulu talked to her friend. "Maxie, you must be delusional. There is no way you gave the baby a bad heart. This little girl isn't biologically yours, remember?"

"I'm not delusional!" Maxie yelled, a mix of pain, anger, and guilt manifested at once. "Believe me I would love to be delusional because then I wouldn't notice the excruciating pain I'm in right now!"

Maxie gripped Spinelli's hand tight. He too wanted to know what she meant.

"I believe the Blonde One was simply asking why Fair Maximista would believe that a child that is not biologically hers would have obtained some degree of her genetic make-up."

"Because she's not hers!" Maxie argued as Dr. Lee continued to find out what was happening to the baby.

Still believing Maxie was simply crazy, Dante and Lulu turned their attention to the woman who had their baby's life in her hands.

"Is the baby going to be ok?" Lulu practically begged, hoping for good news.

"The baby's heart is fine; no defects were found."

Dante and Lulu breathed a sigh of relief. Unfortunately, they knew there was more to the story.

"However." Dr. Lee continued. "The umbilical cord is wrapped around the baby's neck. We'll have to keep a close eye on Maxie as her labor progresses. If things turn out to be unsafe to deliver the baby naturally, we may need to do an emergency C-section."

Dante and Lulu just stood there, not knowing what to think. Their daughter's life was hanging in the balance, and there wasn't anything they could do.

"We should go tell everyone what's going on." Dante held his wife tight, trying to be the strong one in the situation.

"Ok." Lulu neither agreed nor disagreed. She was just happy somebody else was making the decisions. With all of this being thrown at her, she was in no state to make any decisions herself.

The once happy, now afraid, couple left the room, once again leaving Maxie and Spinelli together…alone.

Trying to ease Maxie's mind a little, Spinelli went back to the topic at hand before all the drama occurred.

"Maxie, what was it you needed to tell me? And why would you say that Lulu and Dante's daughter wasn't theirs?"

Once again, emotions took over and Maxie found herself sobbing. "Because she's not."

Spinelli still didn't understand, so he waited for Maxie to explain.

Maxie caught her breath before driving the knife into everyone's perfect little world. "She's yours!"


	2. Chapter 2

Spinelli was stunned. Did he hear her correctly?

"Mine?"

"And mine." Maxie clarified. She slowly felt her world crumbling around her.

Spinelli still didn't understand. "But, how?"

"New Year's Eve."

Spinelli thought back to that night. He was drunk; therefore he knew it was unlikely that he used any form of protection. Maxie was already pregnant though; or so he thought.

"So the second implantation after the miscarriage?"

"Never happened." Maxie explained. "Dr. Westborn couldn't do it because I was already pregnant."

Spinelli went from shocked to a little angry. How could she not tell him?

"I don't believe you."

"Ask Ellie." Maxie said, the tears again streaming down her face.

"Ellie? What does she have to do with this?" Spinelli started getting aggravated.

"She's just like you. She likes to dig up dirt on people. She couldn't just leave it alone." Maxie complained. "She found out that I was keeping it a secret that the baby wasn't Dante and Lulu's."

Now Spinelli was beyond upset.

"So it's true. Both of you have known about this for months and neither of you said anything?"

"I'm so sorry!" Maxie cried. "I didn't want you to find out like this!"

"You mean you didn't want me finding out at all!" Spinelli spat back.

"Yes I did!" Maxie argued. "Maybe not at first, but as I felt this little girl growing inside of me, I realized I couldn't just give her to them. She was mine, and yours…ours. I tried so many times to tell them, and you, but I got scared. Do you realize how many lives I'm destroying right now?!"

Spinelli calmed down a bit. Putting himself in Maxie's shoes for a moment, he realized how much the truth would hurt Dante and Lulu. They were his best friends, and just like Maxie, he didn't want anything to destroy their happiness.

"You know it wouldn't have been as bad if this secret had come out months ago. Lulu and Dante could've forgiven you…started over. We could've…" Spinelli trailed off, looking into Maxie's eyes.

"Been a family?" Maxie shook her head. "Impossible."

"Why not?" Spinelli questioned.

"Because you're with Ellie!" Maxie stated the obvious.

Spinelli looked confused. "How would that stop us from being parents?"

"Oh yeah, we'll just be like all those happy divorced couples that never speak to each other and bounce the kid from house to house until the kid gets sick of it and runs away or turns 18 and never wants anything to do with us ever again." Maxie explained, getting slightly annoyed. "You grew up in a family like that and so did I. I don't want our daughter living like that. She deserves a stable family with two parents who love her more than anything."

"Even if that's not us?" Spinelli questioned if that would be the next phrase out of Maxie's mouth.

Maxie couldn't answer. Spinelli had taken the words right out of her mouth.

Without another word, Spinelli left the room. He needed time to think. He also had to find the other woman mixed into this mess. The woman he loved; the woman who knew too much.

* * *

It wasn't long before he found her. She was talking with one of the nurses, handing her a patient file. Ellie looked up and smiled when she saw the love of her life. Her smiled quickly faded when she saw how distraught her love looked.

"Damian?" She wondered what was bothering him.

"How long have you known?" Spinelli asked bluntly, a hint of anger in his voice.

Ellie soon realized what Spinelli was talking about. "A few months. I questioned Maxie after tricking you into hacking into her medical records. She denied it of course so I threatened to go to the lab to check Dante and Lulu's remaining embryos. That's when she confessed."

"You've been lying to me this whole time." Spinelli continued. "I could see Maxie lying because for some reason that is her first instinct, but not you. You are supposed to be the honest one. That is what I loved most about you."

"Loved? As in past tense." Ellie felt her heart drop.

Spinelli ignored the comment, still desperate for answers.

"How could you not tell me I had a child? We've argued relentlessly and you know how much I want a child of my own."

"I'm so sorry!" A tear fell down Ellie's cheek.

"I'm not looking for apologies, I just want answers!" Spinelli practically screamed in her face.

"I was scared!"

"Scared?" Spinelli couldn't believe that was her excuse.

"I was scared of losing you!" Ellie clarified, getting choked up on her words.

"So you lied?"

"You were in love with Maxie for years! I knew once you found out that that baby was yours, you'd want to be with her and your daughter. You would have that perfect little family and I would lose you forever! I didn't want that to happen! I love you!"

That last phrase hit Spinelli like a smack to the face. If she was really that worried about their relationship, she should have been honest from the beginning. To him, her lying meant his happiness was less important than her own, which to him is not what a true relationship was.

"I can't even look at you right now." Spinelli was disgusted. How could she do this to him?

"Damian." Ellie didn't know what else to say. With his back to her, she put her hand gently on his shoulder.

"I've got to go." Spinelli jerked his shoulder away, leaving Ellie standing there, not knowing what to do or what to think.

Trying to hold on to the one she loved most in this world, she may have done everything to push him away.


	3. Chapter 3

Spinelli turned the corner back toward the scene of the original crime when a couple caught his eye. It wasn't just any couple. It was the people he considered to be his best friends in the world. Their whole demeanor had changed since he saw them last. Their faces no longer showed fear, but instead just pure confusion.

When he approached them, their confused look grew stronger.

"Do the expectant parents have any news regarding the soon to be newborn?" Spinelli asked, trying to hide his pain over 'their' daughter.

"Nothing yet Spinelli." Dante said.

"We're just trying to figure out how to handle Maxie." Lulu added.

"Uhm, handle?" Spinelli didn't quite know what they meant.

"She's still convinced that our daughter is hers." Lulu explained.

"And the strangest part is she's dragging you into it." Dante added, still feeling weird about the whole situation.

"Me?" Spinelli wondered if she had finally told their secret.

""Yeah, Maxie keeps telling us that not only is this baby hers, but that she's yours." Lulu explained.

Now it was Spinelli's turn to look confused. Maxie had told them the truth; unfortunately, they didn't want to hear it. The ball was in his court now. He hated to admit it, but he wished he was in Maxie's shoes. When she told her friends the truth, they gave her a verdict of insanity. Now, the loving man who would never hurt a fly had to do the unthinkable. He had to commit murder, and not just once, but twice.

He tried to pull the trigger, but he couldn't. How was he supposed to kill two of the people he cared most about in this world, leaving them with the same emptiness he was feeling now.

"Perhaps I could talk to Fair Maximista on behalf of the Blonde One and the Doting Detective."

Dante and Lulu looked at each other.

"If you think it'll help." Lulu gave in. "Give it a shot."

"I shall do my best." And with that, Spinelli left the couple, returning to Maxie's room, hoping to find a way to keep the happiness of all involved intact.

* * *

"Spinelli. You came back." Maxie was both shocked and happy. She was also exhausted; the labor process was really taking a toll on her.

"I told them." She added, barely being able to speak as a tear left her eye.

"I know." Spinelli whispered. Without even thinking about it, he cupped her cheek, wiping the tears away with his thumb.

"They didn't believe me."

"I know." Spinelli repeated, just as lovingly as the first time.

There was a moment of silence. They looked into each other's eyes, not knowing what to do or say next. Feeling like he had to, Spinelli divulged another bit of information.

"I talked to Ellie."

"You did? So are you two…" Maxie trailed off.

"Over?" Spinelli wasn't even sure himself. He couldn't focus on that right now. He needed to be there for his daughter, and that mother that he once loved…and quite possibly still did.

Maxie leaned her head on the hand cupping her cheek. She loved feeling his touch. It reminded her of better times, of hope, of life…of home.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, knowing it was over between them, and that she was the cause of it.

"It doesn't matter now. All that matters is our beautiful baby girl." Spinelli too began having tears drip down his face. He placed his hand on her stomach.

Maxie's hand met Spinelli's, intertwining on her stomach as another contraction hit. Feeling their daughter trying to escape from the safety of her mother's womb made everything seem so much more real.

"Spinelli, I'm scared. What if something happens to our daughter? I don't know if I can handle a C-section."

Not knowing what else to do, Spinelli just held her in his arms. In some strange way, it seemed to calm both of them. Trying to be the strong one in the situation, Spinelli gave comforting words to the mother of his soon to be daughter.

"We'll cross that proverbial bridge when we need to." Spinelli spoke softly. "And if we need to you need to know that I will be here with you the entire time. I'm not going anywhere."

Maxie started to tear up again. Why did he have to be so sweet? She had toyed with his emotions for years and he still treated her with nothing but kindness and respect.

"Spinelli, you're the most perfect guy in the world. I don't deserve it. I've been a horrible girlfriend, non-wife, and best friend for years. Why are you still so nice to me after all the crap I put you through?"

Spinelli thought for a moment. At any time he could've stood up for himself and left her. He couldn't do it though. There was something about her; no matter what happened he was drawn to her.

"Fair Maximista, my life would be nothing without you. I hope you understand that. Yes you've done some not so good things in your life, but there is usually a good reason behind it, mostly involving protecting the ones you love. And when you get yourself into a predicament, one that you can't easily get yourself out of, in a weird way those make me the happiest. It's at those times when I get to be the hero, which as you know doesn't happen that often. Sure the Jackal is a cyber-superhero, but Damian Spinelli is unfortunately highly lacking in said department."

"You're always my hero Spinelli." Maxie smiled.

"And you're always my Fair Maximista." Spinelli took her hand. "I love having you in my life. It keeps life entertaining. With Ellie, everything was great, but it was predictable…well except for this."

The two giggled a little, realizing this situation was a little crazy, even for them.

"You keep me on my toes. With you, life is an adventure; and I don't want anything to change that."

"Well Spinelli, I certainly got myself into a predicament this time."

"I can certainly see that." Spinelli smiled, knowing once again, he would have to be her hero. He liked that.

Without a second thought, Spinelli knew what it took to be her hero. He let go of her hand, but this time, instead of leaving, he got as close to her as possible. Laying on her bed, right beside her, both of their hands on her stomach; at that moment, in her eyes, he couldn't get any more heroic.


	4. Chapter 4

Dante and Lulu walked back over to Maxie's room and were about to rejoin her when they saw something shocking through the open shades of the room.

Spinelli was not only still with Maxie, but they were in bed together. That was it; they had had enough of this crazy situation. They stormed into the room, obviously catching the strange bedmates off guard.

"What the hell is going on here?!" Lulu more or less flipped out.

Both Maxie and Spinelli looked like a deer in headlights. They couldn't answer her question, mainly because they didn't know what was going on themselves. All they knew in that moment was that the lives of the 4, soon to be 5, people in the room were about to blow up and crumble, and there was nothing they could do to stop it.

"What happened to the conversation you were supposed to have?" Dante was just as upset. "You know, the one where you explained to Maxie that this baby wasn't hers."

Spinelli looked at the furious couple and then back at Maxie. He looked into her eyes, seeing what she saw; a future with their daughter…years of firsts, years of memories, and years of regret if this lie didn't end. It was that look in her eyes that gave him the strength to pull the trigger.

"I cannot keep up this lie any longer."

"What lie? What the hell is going on?" Lulu was getting angrier by the second.

"Can somebody explain what the hell Spinelli is talking about?" Dante asked, also getting frustrated.

"Maxie was telling the truth." Spinelli said bluntly, not taking his eyes off the mother of his child. He was afraid to look back, not wanting to see the pain on his friends' faces, knowing exactly how they were feeling.

"What the hell Spinelli?" Dante was beyond shocked.

"Seriously?!" Lulu argued. "Spinelli you can't believe her. All the drugs are making her delusional!"

"She speaks the truth. This beautiful little creature is in fact my own. Ellie can confirm everything if you believe me to be as delusional as Fair Maximista."

"Ellie? Seriously how many more people are going to be in on this?" Lulu couldn't take anymore. "I'm going to get Dr. Lee. Maybe a professional can explain the simple concept of surrogacy to you since neither of you can seem to get it through your heads."

Lulu left the room in a huff, not wanting to deal with anyone anymore. Her husband quickly followed, feeling like this wasn't the last of this conversation.

As the door slammed, Spinelli was finally able to turn around. For a brief moment there was silence. Normally silence was cherished, but in Spinelli's world, silence was never a good sign. It was the calm before the storm. Silence always meant disaster was right around the corner.

"Well that went well." Maxie said sarcastically, breaking the dreaded silence.

"That certainly could've gone better, yes." Spinelli added.

"What are we going to do now?" Maxie asked, hoping her hero had all the answers.

In that moment, Spinelli did all he knew how to do. He resumed his place lying next to his fairest Maximista, placing his hand on her stomach, hoping to meet his daughter soon, just to find some joy in this tragedy.

"I don't know, Fair Maximista. I don't know."

* * *

Before long, the quietness of the room was replaced by an all too familiar sound. Machines started beeping and screens starting flashing. Spinelli held Maxie tighter, not knowing what else to do.

It wasn't long before Lulu and Dante ran back in with Dr. Lee. All three were in shock when they saw all the commotion. Dr. Lee ran right over to check on the baby.

"Looks like I have perfect timing." Dr. Lee smiled, trying to hide her concern. "This baby is ready to be born."

"We'll be meeting our daughter soon!" Lulu couldn't contain her excitement.

"You mean _our_ daughter." Maxie tried to argue through another contraction.

"Maximista you need to save your strength." Spinelli sat vigilant by Maxie's bedside.

"He's right Maxie, this may be a difficult delivery." Dr. Lee said.

"Delivery?" Spinelli questioned. "Does that mean that the common surgical procedure named after the Roman Consulate won't be necessary?"

"What about the cord being wrapped around her neck?" Lulu asked, hoping for a good outcome.

"No, Spinelli; looks like we got lucky this time. As the baby progressed through the birth canal the cord loosened up, allowing me to remove it before delivering her fully." Dr. Lee explained.

Everyone in the room breathed a sigh of relief. They had gotten over one of the major hurdles of the day; now to face the rest of them.

A few nurses entered the room as Dr. Lee prepared for delivery.

"You ready to meet our little girl?" Spinelli whispered to Maxie, hoping no one else heard him. He didn't want the same argument they've been having all day to ruin this beautiful moment.

Maxie nodded, gritting her teeth through the pain.

Dr. Lee looked around the room and smiled. "Well Maxie, it looks like you've got plenty of coaches here, so what do you say we get started."

"Anything to make the pain stop!" Maxie cringed.

Dante and Lulu stood anxiously by Maxie's bed. One of them would've been coaching her, but someone had already taken that spot.

"Alright Maxie, at the next contraction I want you to push." Dr. Lee instructed.

Gripping Spinelli's hand, Maxie gave it everything she had. Being the best coach he could, Spinelli wrapped his arm around her, supporting her as he watched a miracle occur right before his eyes.

"You're doing great Maxie. Another good push like that and I'll be able to unwrap the cord."

Maxie took a deep breath and pushed again. Her body was killing her and with every second she felt like giving up. How much more torture could one girl take? As if Spinelli could read her mind, he wrapped his arms around her tighter and squeezed her hand with every ounce of love he had. It was that love that gave her the strength to fight on.

"Maxie you're doing fantastic!" Lulu squealed, still in joy overload.

"She's right. You're a real trooper." Dante added.

Maxie smiled. Dante and Lulu thought it was for them, but that couldn't be farther from the truth.

Spinelli knew that smile. She was thinking about something; most likely the same thing as him…their daughter. The rest of the world seemed to disappear, as if the only thing that mattered was their little girl.

The world came back into focus soon enough. The first thing they noticed was that ear shattering, high pitch, cry. Their daughter was here. None of them could believe it; this bloody, wrinkly, gooey thing was finally out in the world.

"Congratulations you guys." Dr. Lee smiled, putting the towel containing the new life on Maxie's chest.

As the four stared at the little girl, no one made a sound; no arguing, no yelling…nothing. For once in Spinelli's life, silence became the best sound in the world.


End file.
